Museum of Indian Arts & Culture Receives $100K from Henry Luce Foundation

April 21st, 2021

The Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (MIAC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. This is the second grant the museum has received from the foundation as part of an emergency response to support MIAC’s operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This grant will be used to support various areas within MIAC including staffing and educational programming until the hiring freeze resulting from the pandemic is lifted. The funds will also allow a complete redesign of the museum’s website and will enable staff to better care for the 75,000 individually cataloged items in MIAC’s collections.

With support from the Henry Luce Foundation, MIAC will now be able to hire collections and education staff to better care for its collections and implement virtual educational programs. Hiring staff for these temporary positions will allow the museum to resume regular and more thorough management of the objects in the collections. MIAC’s education department will also strengthen with the hiring of new staff which will allow greater outreach and educational programs including assistance and resources for local artists.

As MIAC and many other cultural institutions transition to a more virtual approach, the funds from this grant will also be used to redesign the museum’s website, giving visitors a new and improved look at MIAC through a computer or mobile device.

“We are extremely appreciative that the Henry Luce Foundation has stepped forward at this time to fill critical needs resulting from the pandemic,” said Della Warrior (Otoe-Missouria), Director of MIAC. “This grant significantly enhances MIAC’s capacity to steward its priceless collections and to continue planning and preparing exhibitions and programs.  It is like a lifeline at this economically devastating time providing vital resources to enable MIAC to carry on its work and responsibilities.”

MIAC is once again grateful to the Henry Luce Foundation and Museum of New Mexico Foundation for their vital support in fundraising and grant assistance. 

About the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture
The Museum of Indian Arts & Culture is a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, under the leadership of the Board of Regents for the Museum of New Mexico. Programs and exhibits are generously supported by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and our donors. The mission of the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology is to serve as a center of stewardship, knowledge, and understanding of the artistic, cultural, and intellectual achievements of the diverse peoples of the Native Southwest.

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